The Illinois Central Railroad retaliated against two employees who reported workplace injuries at a Chicago-area rail yard and the IC has been ordered to pay the workers back wages and damages, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

An IC conductor was injured in August 2008 when a knuckle that connects rail cars broke and the conductor was knocked to the ground, the investigation found. After a hearing, the railroad fired the conductor, saying he violated safety rules.

But OSHA determined the conductor was “terminated in reprisal for reporting a work-related injury.’’ The Labor Department required the railroad to pay the conductor a total of $269,707 in back wages, vacation pay, medical charges and attorney fees, plus $100,000 in punitive damages and $75,000 in compensatory damages.

In a separate incident in February 2008, a carman reported suffering arm and shoulder injuries while slipping on an icy platform during an inspection of railcars in a poorly lit part of the Markham yard, the investigation said. He was fired too, allegedly for violating the railroad’s injury reporting procedures, the investigation said. OSHA concluded that he properly reported the injury and that he must be offered reinstatement if he receives medical clearance to work.

The Labor Department ordered the IC to pay the carman $154,694 in back wages and punitive and compensatory damages.

Illinois Central has 30 days to file objections to the findings and request a hearing, officials said.

A spokesman for Illinois Central said the railroad disagrees with OSHA’s ruling and findings.

"We have just received the decision today and are evaluating our legal options,'' spokesman Patrick Waldron said Thursday night.

The Labor Department said it does not release the names of employees involved in whistleblower complaints.